Why am I not a big fan of AI? Look, I get it, it’s the way of the future, but AI has three fundamental issues for me: 1) fraudulent uses, 2) the perception the machine is infallible, and 3) the loss of learning.
Let’s take a look at all three, neatly wrapped up in an Apple commercial you’ve probably seen. You know, the one with the snarky, lying young woman. To refresh your memory, click here to watch, then return to my screed.
Don’t be dazzled by the production value of the commercial, keep your eye on the ball, because when you dig beneath the surface, as ol’ Bill will do to help you out, you will notice something else. And after I point it out, you’ll never be able to unsee it: AI has enabled that woman to lie, and worse, get rewarded for that lie.
She wasn’t prepared for the meeting, but instead of telling the truth and offering a reasonable solution, (e.g., “sorry, I haven’t read it yet, but I’ll read it tonight and contact you tomorrow”), AI lets the woman commit a fraud. She pushes a few buttons, and voila, the machine gives her the answer and thus allows her to perpetrate that fraud. Not prepared? Don’t worry, you can now use technology to extricate yourself from a problem!
In one fell swoop, you have seen all three of my criticisms play out: 1) the woman told a bald face lie, and got away with it, 2) the woman blindly trusted whatever the machine told her, 3) the woman didn’t form her own opinion from doing (reading the script), instead, she obtained an opinion from the borg.
All three are negative consequences of AI, but the third one might be the worst. This is the difference between doing and having. Having the end result might be expedient, but the loss of learning that comes will be far more consequential than you might realize.
The other Apple I’ve seen for AI all have the same theme. Pay closer attention next time one airs. Like I said, once you see it, you cannot unsee it.
In case you missed it and are interested in a deeper dive into the ins and outs of AI, take a look at my prior article.
Prior to joining FOCUS, Mr. Snow worked as a Managing Director for Jordan Knauff & Company, where he specialized in helping owners and executives raise capital for acquiring companies, divisions, business units, or product lines with revenues between $10 million and $300 million.
Mr. Snow has written articles for magazines and online periodicals as well as books about mergers and acquisitions (Mergers & Acquisitions For Dummies), early stage capital (Venture Capital 101) and personal marketing (Networking Is A Curable Condition). He has presented at universities including Northwestern University, DePaul University, the Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and Harvard Business School. He has also spoken before the Thomson Reuters Midwestern M&A/Private Equity Forum, J.P. Morgan Chase, Huntington Bank, Ice Miller, the Illinois CPA Society, and the University Club of Chicago.
A Vistage speaker, Mr. Snow has presented to groups in Chicago, New Orleans, Louisville, and Cincinnati. He has lectured internationally in Malaysia, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. He has an MBA and a B.S. in finance, both from DePaul University, and he’s a FINRA-registered Investment Banking Representative (series 62, 63, and 79).
